


That's the Joke.

by fishfingersandjellybabies



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Batman!damian, Gen, Harley!Steph, joker!tim
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-09
Updated: 2015-07-09
Packaged: 2018-04-08 12:36:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4305351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishfingersandjellybabies/pseuds/fishfingersandjellybabies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The truly last battle between Batman and the Joker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	That's the Joke.

**Author's Note:**

> For a '100 followers prompts' submission on tumblr last year.

The laugh echoed through the empty building as soon as Batgirl’s voice was cut off on his communicator. Damian didn’t change his pace, didn’t hurry up or slow down as he continued through the halls. The sound was on a loop; he could hear the small click as the tape started over and over. But that didn’t mean the Joker wasn’t here.

A _different_ Joker, Damian thought bitterly. A _new_ Joker. 

After a few turns, Damian peeked into a room that the door had been smashed in. He could see a body in the corner, a woman, leaning against the wall. Blonde, with a ridiculous red-and-black costume haphazardly thrown on her body. Her hair was tied up in pigtails that looked far too tight. She hadn’t dressed herself, that much was obvious.

Damian stepped towards the doorway, broken glass crunching under his feet. The woman looked up. White makeup ran down her face in tear tracks.  She was sobbing, and her breath hitched as she looked at him.

“B-Batsy…” she murmured, lip quivering. “H-hiya, Batsy…”

“Brown.” Damian responded, walking towards the woman and crouching in front of her. He reached out, pushing her bangs back from her forehead. Stephanie tried to suppress her flinch. “Is he here, Brown?”

Stephanie nodded, but suddenly jumped forward, clinging to Damian’s trench coat. She hissed, “Don’t do it, Damian. Please, get out of here. Don’t go after him!”

“I have to.” Damian tried to pull away.

“You don’t.” Stephanie wouldn’t let go, letting herself be dragged forward. “He’s bored of the game, Damian. He wants to kill you this time, he told me. Kill you, then kill himself. He’s done.”

“Brown…”

“He cut you off from Nell, right? Jammed your communicator.” Stephanie continued. “This is just between you and him. The Batman and the Joker. B-but there can’t be one without the other.”

“I can’t let him hurt anyone else.” Damian said, gently gripping her hand and forcing her back. He stood and backed towards the door. “I’ll come back for you, Brown. I promise.”

“P-please don’t kill him!” Stephanie shrieked. “I…I can still help him, I swear!”

Damian closed his eyes as he continued to walk away, trying to drown out the woman’s pleas. Drake would pay for this. He would pay for this like he would pay for everything else he’d done.

About twenty minutes later, Damian came across the largest room of the facility. A conference room, by the looks of it. There was a throne at the far end of it. Timothy Drake – Joker Junior – sat sideways in the chair, waving his dangling feet back and forth. He was in a purple suit, much more immaculate than his predecessor. He would look incredibly sophisticated if it weren’t for that hideous white makeup across his face. Damian felt his chest tighten just looking at it.

“Why hello, hello!” Tim cackled, sitting up and crossing his legs. His grin was terrible. Damian never thought much of the original Joker, but here and now, looking at his former ally, the old man – who had died not long after Tim had been tortured – looked like a clown you sent to a child’s birthday. “And what brings you here, my _darling_ little brother?”

“You blew up Gotham Harbor.” Damian clenched his teeth, wanting nothing more than to rip his cowl back. Do this confrontation face to face. But he couldn’t appeal to Drake’s emotions. He was too far gone for that to work anymore. “There were workers on those ships, some of them with families. You almost killed Batgirl-”

“But I _didn’t_ , did I?” Tim cut him off, the grin – how is that possible? – growing more malicious. “You’re welcome.”

“But our brothers,” Damian spat. “Drake, our _brothers_ were there, too. And Batgirl _can’t find them_.”

The grin suddenly dropped. “Then they were too slow.”

“Do you really not care anymore?” Damian screamed as Tim stood and turned away, fiddling with something on the edge of his throne. “Me aside, what about Grayson? He still _loves_ you, you know. And it still _kills_ him every day that we couldn’t help you! Or Gordon? She gave up her job as commissioner, has been working to find you an antidote. And…and _Brown_. She dropped everything, chased after you immediately, let you dress her up as a Harley Quinn knock-off…fuck, she _killed_ the original, all just for _you!”_

“Your point?” Tim purred, looking at Damian over his shoulder. “Don’t you get it, brat? That’s the joke. You all work so _hard_ , and put yourself through so much _pain_ because you still think it’ll _help_. You still think you can make a difference for me. You all just wallow in self-pity, thinking of me as nothing but that one that got away. The one you couldn’t _save_. Didn’t it occur to any of you that I was happier this way? You know how it is, holding _nothing_ back. You were right, back when you were ten. It’s more affective this way.”

Damian remained silent. Absently, he thought he could hear Stephanie howling from somewhere else in the building. He wondered if they were still on speaker, if she could hear them talking.

“No, you know what? I was wrong. You _do_ get it, Damian. That’s why you’re my favorite Batman.” Tim giggled. He partially disappeared behind the throne, but kept his eyes on Damian. “Much better than all those other weirdos.”

Damian gulped the lump in his throat. One last try. Never give up, not on anyone. That’s what Grayson taught him. He took a step forward. “Come with me, Drake. I won’t force you to take an antidote, or start you on any sort of rehab. Just…just come home with me. You and Brown. See the family one last time.”

“The family’s _dead_ , Damian. That was the whole point of the stunt in the harbor. I only left Nell Little alive to tell the tale.” The grin returned to Tim’s face as he stepped away from the throne, a small remote detonator in his hand. Damian recognized it – he had made it years ago.

Damian stared at the trigger, then back up at Tim’s face. Like Stephanie, the white makeup was suddenly starting to run. He was…he was crying? Damian took another step forward, finally tugging the cowl off his face. His heart pounded in his chest. “Drake…”

Tim’s lips shook but the smile never wavered. “We all go out together.”

The Joker pressed the button.


End file.
